Conservative Party of Kirlawa Chairman Election 3821
The 3821 election to the Chairman of the Conservative Party of Kirlawa was held between April and October of that year to elect the second Chairman of the Conservative Party. The incumbent, Alexander Magnum, retired from the Party due to old age, triggering the Party's first elections for the position of Chairman. Three candidates ran in the election, which was held under the IRV (Instant Run-off Voting) electoral system. Alexander Magnum's son, Alexander Magnum II, won the vote decisively with 72.1%, and became the next Chairman of the Party. Background By 3821, the incumbent Chairman of the Party and one of its founders, Alexander Magnum, started to become frail and lethargic. He had served in the Party for 34 years at that point. The first hints which indicated a shift in Party direction came about at the Party Conference in 3820, where he said, He officially made the decision to stand down as Chairman of the Party in April 3821, where he announced: Under the Party Constitution, Section 37A (Rules for Internal Elections: Elections for the Post of Chairman), the Chairman of the Party technically could not resign at any time. He could only lose his post if he is defeated at a leadership election or spill. The incumbent Chairman runs as a "blank candidate", whereby his name will not appear on the ballot paper, thereby receiving no votes and assuring him of h is defeat. This ensures that the Chairman could only retire from the post upon the conclusion of the Chairman election, thus removing the need for caretaker or acting Chairmen. These rules were eventually amended later on. Timeline The procedure of the elections to the post of Chairman, pursuant to Section 37A, was set out in a timetable taking place between April and October: * May to June 30th, 3821: Nominations for candidates to be filed. Assentors and endorsements must also be obtained during this time. Campaigning may begin at any time, even before they have submitted their papers. * July 1st to August 31st, 3821: Campaigning for candidates. * September 1st to October, 3821: Voting for candidates begin. Candidates may still campaign during this period. * Final Voting Day: Voting stops at 1159hrs. Campaigning is not allowed on this day. * Announcement of results: The results are announced three days after the conclusion of voting, at a special Party meeting in Indrala, Merkan. Candidates Between April and June of 3821, potential candidates must register with the General Executive Committee of the Party to run as a candidate. Eligible candidates must meet the following criteria: * Has been a member of the national Conservative Party for at least three years, * Is a sitting member of the General Assembly for the term beginning in June 3819, * Received endorsements from at least one affiliated provincial level party based in their constituency (except in Merkan, see footnote.) * Received assent from 10 members of the General Assembly By June 31, 3821, the following candidates have filed for nomination papers with the General Executive Committee and thereby appear on the ballot paper: ^ The PCP(M) was not an officially registered franchise of the Party, as the Party operates no local franchises in Merkan. In this case, the candidate is required to receive endorsements from at least 25% of the Party members in the region. By having the endorsement of the PCP(M), Alexander Magnum II has hit the quota. Withdrew or Ineligible On May the 26th, the Shadow Minister for Agriculture, John Hammersmith, filed his nomination papers with the General Executive Committee. He had already been campaigning for seven days, but delayed his registration due to his busy schedule. He eventually pulled out of the race on June the 7th, citing personal commitments, and endorsed Alexander Magnum II for the post of Chairman. On June the 11th, backbencher Boris Baton attempted to file his nomination papers with the General Executive Committee. However, he failed to acquire the minimum of ten assentors required to be eligible (he had 8), and was thus disqualified. Moreover, the provincial-level affiliated party he had listed, the Dirguzia Conservative Party, was not an officially recognised affiliate at the time and thus could not be used (they registered with the Party officially after this incident). Declined to run It was widely tipped that the Leader of the Party, Malagasy Thatcher, would run in the election for Chairman. She was said to have been jealous of the Presidential tenures of Alexander Magnum, as she failed to become Prime Minister despite being Leader of the Party since 3790. On May the 14th, her advisor said that she was "considering the prospect of running for the Chairman elections, provided that she has majority support across the chambers (Senate and General Assembly)". On May the 23rd, she filed updated financial records with the General Executive Committee, which hinted at a possible run in the leadership contest. On June the 1st, Malagasy Thatcher officially made the announcement that she would not be running for the post of Chairman. She stated that she had a "duty to remain in the capacity of Leader of the Party", and wanted to show "respect and deference to my former colleague and friend, Alexander Magnum, who has served the party extraordinarily well and whose legacy will not be forgotten." Malagasy Thatcher was believed to have collected assent from between 26 to 67 MPs by that point. Malagasy Thatcher would eventually run in the 3833 Chairman elections, just 12 years afterwards, and win that election uncontested. Campaigns The three candidates held different campaigns, each focusing on an individual theme. Alexander Magnum II The slogan for Alexander Magnum II's campaign was Restore Kirlawan Sovereignty. He sought for the independence of Kirlawa from various legislatively binding international treaties, which he found to have impeded the ability of Kirlawa's legislature to make its own decisions. His popularity was high, much in part to the fact that he was the Alexander Magnum's son. His national conservative ideology was in stark contrast to the more liberal conservative, if not libertarian background of the Conservative Party, heralded and championed by his father, Alexander Magnum. However, he soon carved out his own bloc in the Party. Nationalists and small state advocates from within the Party were amongst his largest and most vocal groups of supporters. His popular and rousing speeches eventually assured him of the title of Chairman by the time the campaigning period was over. Jeremiah Combaretch Jeremiah Combaretch ran on a libertarian theme, where he advocated for a much larger and more active free market, with the accompanying slogan of Small State, Big Markets. His laissez-faire economic strategy and credentials as Alexander Magnum's undersecretary made him initially popular among the top echelons of the Party, as well as its core support group. However, he became increasingly viewed as an anarcho-capitalist and outsider to the Party's core values. Nancy Hoffman Nancy Hoffman advocated an increased liberalisation within the Party, moving it closer towards the left and engaging in more progressive and permissive social policies. Her slogan was A Progressive Party. She did not attract widespread support throughout the campaign. Nonetheless, she became the second most popular candidate for a short period of time after making a cogent speech on the importance of "party decency and party values". Opinion polls Results On October the 28th, the results were announced at Conservative Party of Kirlawa headquarters in Indrala, Merkan. Epilogue See also